Improvement in grain-driers



nonArIo n. BiNenAM AND JonNc. HUNT, or Ten-nn HAUTE, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IiN GRAIN-BEZIERS.

` Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 75,844, dated March24, 1868.

To allzrhom it may concer-n: Be it known that we, H. H. BINGHAM and J.C. HUNT, of rlerre Haute,iu the county of Vigo and State ot Indiana,have invented a new and Combined Meal and Uhop Drier and `Cooler; and wedo hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to makeand use the same, reference beingv h ad to the accompanying' drawings,forming part of this specification, in whichy Figure l is a verticallongitudinal section of our improved meal and chop drier and cooler, theplane ot' section being indicated by the line a' fr, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is arear elevation, partly in section, of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontalsectional view ofthe same, taken on the line 1/ y, Fig. l. Fig. 4 isavertical cross-sectionot thc .'salne, taken on the linea z, Fig. 1.Fig. 5 is a detailview, showing the `connection between' the moving andmovez.

sists in the use ot' an inclined polygonal reel,

which is open at 4both ends, and into the higher end et' which the mealor chop, as it` comes from the mill, is fed. The said reel is f arrangedin a cylindrical tube, which is connected with a iirevplace, in whichheatis generated, so that the said reel will be surrounded by theproducts of combustion and by the hot air which are generated in thefireplace. V

The reel is revolved, and the meal in it is dried by the surrounding hotair, and is conveyed to the lower end of the reel, whence it isdischarged into a fan, by which itis elevated to the cooler.`

The latter -is surrounded by a canvaswall, in which the canvas isarranged in a zigzag line, so that a large porous area for es.

cape of `the air which is forced up by the fan Vis provided. The meal iscooled by the blast of air created by the fan, and is discharged fromthe aforesaid canvas-lined chamber by suitable mechanism, ready for use.

A represents a cylinder, made of sheet-iron or other suitable metal, andsupported by a frame or posts, L, by which it isf held in an inclinedposition, as is clearly shown inFig. 1,the front end a being higher-thanthe rear end b. y

To the ends or heads of the stationary cylindcr A are arranged bearingsc c for al shaft,

B, whichis arranged concentric inthe cylinder A, and on which ahexagonal or polyg onal reel,.O, is mounted by means of armsu u, asshown in Figs. l and 4, both endsof the said reel being open, although aange, d, is formed around the front end to prevent the meal from falling out at that end. Near to the rear or lower end of the stationarycylinder A is arranged a furnace, D, with grating, ash-box, and tire-boxcomplete, as shown in Fig. 1. Y

The tire-box communicates ,withthe cylinv der A by means of a hole orholes, c e, through which the 4smoke and heated air passinto thecylinder, and, enveloping the reel, move toward the front end of thesaid cylinder, and out through a smoke-stack or' chimney, E, which isarranged near the front end of the cylinder A, as is clearly shown inFig. 1.

ln rear of the holes e e is arranged, in the circumference of thecylinder A, an open annular space, j", which is either formed byperforationsor by making the said cylinder of two pieces, which areconnected vand held apart by bolts g g, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3.

This open space, or these holes, are for the purpose ot' creating adraft in the cylinder, by which the smoke and heated air are preventedfrom moving toward the rear ofthe cylinder A, and from ventering thereel C through its open rear, and from thus coming in contact with themeal in the latter.

. F is a small tube arranged in or near the rear end of the cylinder,between the end of the reel and that ot" the cylinder, to carry ofi' themoist air which is evaporated by the heated meal. ,4

The meal, which is fed by a hopper or tube from the mill into the frontend ofthe reel (l, is well stirred and thrown around in the latter, andis carried toward its rear lower end,

whence, as a space is'left betweenV the rear ends of the reel andcylinder, it is discharged into the rear lower end of the cylinder A,from which it is conveyed by a tube, G, to a fan, H. The latter isdriven by a belt, w, from the horizontal driving-shaft I, from whichmotion is also imparted, by means of gear-wheels, to the shaft B. y

The driving-shaft has its bearings in a stationary frame-Work, J. In thesame frame are the bearings for the rear end B of the shaft B, which isconnected with the main shaft B by a claw-coupling, h, which is fullyshown in Figs. 5 and 6, and by which the removal, for cleaning and otherpurposes, of the reel is permitted.

By the fan H, the construction of which may be variable, the meal isforced up through a tube, t', into a receptacle or cooler, K, which isconstructed with canvas sides j, with a solid bottom, k, with a falserevolving bottom, l, and with a top or cover, m, in which a removablecap, n, is arranged, as is clearly shown in Figs. l and 3.

That portion of the circumference which is between the bottoms It and lbeing cylindrical, a current of air and meal is forced up by the fan Hinto the cooler K, whence the air escapes through the porous sides orcircumference j, which is arranged in a zigzag line, as shown in Fig. 3,by being laid around suitable stationary vertical pins a a', as shown inFig. 3, to aiford the largest possible area of porous material for theescape of the air.

The meal falls upon the false bottom l, which is revolved by means ofbevel-gearin g o, and is, by centrifugal motion, brought to the rim ofthe said disk or false bottom l, whence it falls upon the fixed bottomk. Those portions of the meal which are thrown against the canvas j aresufficiently cooled, and fall directly upon the bottom k, as the disk ldoes not reach under the triangular spaces formed by the sidesj. Abovethe bottom k ofthe cooler K are arranged, around a vertical hollow axle,p, through which the tube i passes, a series oi" radial scrapers orsweepers, q, by which the meal that has fallen upon said bottom is swepttoward a hole in the bottom lo, whence it falls through a tube, i", intobags or other suitable receptacles.

The disk'l is mounted on top of the hollow axle p, and is moved by meansof the bevelgears o from a horizontal shaft,s, to which motion isimparted from the driving-shaft by means ofa belt, t, as is clearlyshown in Figs. l and 2.

We claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patentl. lhe polygonalinclined reel O, in combination with the furnace or heating cylinder A,the same being provided with a draft hole or holes, f, near its lowerend, with a chimney, E, and with a tube, F, for the escape of moisturefrom the meal, as set forth.

2. Making thc shaft l5, on which the reel C is hung, of two pieces,which are connected by a coupling, h, so that the reel can be easilyremoved, as set forth.

3. Providing the reel C with its upper open end, as set forth.

4. rlhe cooler K, when provided with zigzag canvas or porous sides j,substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

a ilange, (Z, at

5. The cooler K, when provided with Zigi Zag sides j, false revolvingbottom l, stationary bottom 7i', and sweepers q, as set forth.

6. The cooler K, when provided with zigzag porous sides, in combinationwith the fan H, inclined stationary cylinder or furnace A, and inclinedrevolving polygonal rcelO, all made and operating substantial] y as andfor the purpose herein shown and described.

I-IORATIO H. BINGHAM. J. C. HUNT. Witnesses:

THOMAS J. Fonnns'r, L. B. DENEIHE.

